LET'S TALK TO THE PROFESSIONALS THEY HAVE THE HOT TOPICS. WE ARE JOINED BY KIM TRENT A DETROIT-BASED WRITER AND COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT. GOOD FRIEND SHE'S ALSO A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS AT WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY. ALSO BLAINE FOWLER ROOT SHOW HOST OF BLAINE AND ALISON IN THE MORNING ON 96.3 ALSO JUDGE VONDA EVANS AND NEVER STOPS FROM HOLDING BACK HER OPINION. WELCOME BACK. WHETHER GOOD OR BAD. IT'S A GOOD THING. LET'S GO. ALL RIGHT! WE HAVE HEARD FROM SOME TOP CONGRESSMEN THAT ARE IN THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY THAT SAY THAT SOCHI IS NOT SAFE. THEY'RE WORRIED NOT JUST ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OUR ATHLETES BUT AMERICANS TRAVELING THERE. WE KNOW TO SOME DEGREE THAT AMERICANS ARE STAYING AWAY. THIS IS ALL ON TOP OF RUSSIA'S ANTI-GAY POLICY. SO THE QUESTION IS SHOULD THERE BE A BOYCOTT OF THE SOCHI GAMES OR SHOULD WE SHOW UP BACK OUR ATHLETES AND CHEER THEM ON? GUY, I WATCHED DEVIN'S REPORT ON ON CLICKONDETROIT.COM ONE OF MY FAVORITE WEBSITES, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SAW IN THE REPORT THAT WAS VERY INTERESTING THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN FROM RUSSIA WHO SAID THAT HE DOES EXPECT THERE WILL BE SOME TROUBLE. BUT I ALSO THINK THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN'S EGO WILL NOT ALLOW TROUBLE TO HAPPEN. I THINK SO, TOO. YOU KNOW MY ONLY CONCERN IS THAT THE NEW LEGISLATION YOU CAN BE GAY BUT YOU JUST CAN'T BE GAY AROUND KIDS. BUT THE PROBLEM IS THERE ARE THE NUMBER ONE VIOLATOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BY USING TORTURE TO GET STATEMENTS. SO FOR SOME RAIN I DON'T THINK SOCHI IS SOCIAL FOR HOMOSEXUALS. ARE THEY WORSE THAN NORTH KOREA. OH, YEAH, THEY ARE. IF I WERE GAY. I DON'T THINK WE WOULD BOYCOTT. WHAT WOULD BE THE POLITICAL POINT THAT THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO PROTECT, I MEAN, I DON'T THINK THERE'S A POLITICAL POINT THERE I THINK THERE'S AN ISSUE WHETHER THEY'RE SAFE. I THINK THAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WILL COME TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A LOT OF VIGILANCE SO PEOPLE WILL BE SAFE. I THINK ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WE ARE VIGILANT. IF WE BOYCOTT THEN WHAT WE ARE DOING IS WE ARE BOWING DOWN TO TERRORISTS. YES. WE CANNOT DO THAT. AND I THINK THAT THE PRESIDENT MADE A STRONG STATEMENT BY THE FOLKS WHEN HE SAID BILLY JEAN KING HE MADE A STRONG STATEMENT ABOUT WHAT WE THINK ABOUT THAT POLICY THAT THEY HAVE IN RUSSIA. SO I THINK THAT'S ENOUGH. AND TEACHER EVALUATIONS RIGHT NOW LAWMAKERS IN LANSING VOTING ON A PROPOSAL TO BASE 25% OF THE TEACHERS EVALUATION ACTUALLY ON STANDARDIZED TESTS AND STUDENT GROWTH. ARE YOU SERIOUS? IT MAY GO UP TO 50% DEPENDING ON THE SCORE NOW THE QUESTION IS. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. BECAUSE WE KNOW. -- HOLD BACK. STRONG FEELINGS. STANDARDIZED TESTING IS NOT EQUAL. THE TRAINING SOMEBODY GETS IN BIRMINGHAM WILL BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THEY GET IN DETROIT. HOW DO YOU BASE OUT PERFORMANCE THEN IF NOT A STANDARDIZED TEST. HOW DO YOU GRADE THE TEACHERS? I WAS JUST TALKING TO MY KIDS ABOUT THAT THEY HAVE FINALS THIS COMING WEEKEND. WE DON'T HAVE FINALS IN LIFE. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF TESTS ALL THE TIME COME UP UNEXPECTED OR EXPECTED THAT'S JUST HOW LIFE WORKS. I WOULD RATHER HAVE CUMLATIVE GRADING SCORE FOR THE CANNIDS AND RATHER HAVE ONE FOR THE TEACHERS. CERTAINLY ARE CERTAINLY OVEREMPHASIZED IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM. WE ARE BEHIND THE TIMES. IF YOU LOOK AT COLLEGE THEY ARE CHANGING AND MOVING AWAY FROM STANDARDIZED TESTS AS THE SOLE MEASURE OF HOW STUDENTS ARE ACCEPTED. SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE, WE HAVE TO HAVE A WAY TO LOOK AT A STUDENT'S GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND JUDGE BASED ON HOW MUCH THEY HAVE LEARNED NOT JUST AGAIN, IT'S MULTIDIMENSIONAL. A TEACHER CAN TEACH BUT THEN THE KNOWLEDGE GAINS ALMOST NOTHING. THE DIFFICULTY IS WE'RE PUTTING THE BLAME ON TEACHERS. LET'S PUT WHERE IT IT SHOULD BE ON PARENTS. WELL, IT'S ON EVERYBODY. IT'S TEACHERS, IT'S PARENTS. OKAY VERY GOOD. WITH THE MERIT SYSTEM. GUESS WHAT NOBODY IN DETROIT WILL BE HARD TO GET INTO DETROIT BUT YOU CAN ALMOST ALWAYS GET IT IN GROSSE POINTE. PARENTS MAKE KIDS LEARN. IN DETROIT THEY HAVE OTHER SOCIAL ISSUES THAT THEY'RE COMBATTING. THAT'S TRUE. LET'S TALK MINIMUM WAGE. SHOULD THE STATE OF MICHIGAN RAISE ITS MINIMUM WAGE. WE KNOW THIS WILL BE A BIG ISSUE ESPECIALLY IN THE CAMPAIGN ISSUE GOING UP FROM $7.40 TO $9.49 BUT THERE'S A RECENT SURVEY 50 ECONOMISTS ONLY 28% SAID THAT IT'S A GOOD IDEA. SOME SAY IT WOULD BE A BAD IDEA BECAUSE YOU WOULD END UP LOSING JOBS. WHAT DO YOU THINK? I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM DO OUT A TIERED LEVEL. BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN AT SOME POINT OR ANOTHER. IF YOU'RE A COMPANY THAT HAS X AMOUNT OF DOLLARS IN INCOME AND YOU CAN AFFORD THIS IT'S EASY FOR YOU. BUT THE GUY WHO IS JUST STARTING A BID WITH SIX EMPLOYEES IN TROY. WHICH IS 40% OF THE PEOPLE PAYING THE MINIMUM WAGE THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THIS. WHICH DO YOU WANT? YOU KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, NOW YOU SEE THOSE JOBS WERE INITIALLY SUPPOSED TO BE STARTER JOBS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. GUESS WHAT THERE ARE PEOPLE MY AGE TRYING TO PAY A MORTGAGE AT BURGER KING IF IT GOES UP TO $9 TEACHERS WILL BE WORKING THERE, OKAY. A -- THEY WANT TO TALK ABOUT BURGER KING AND McDONALD'S. UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT MORE PEOPLE ARE EARNING THE MINIMUM WAGE NOW AS WAS MENTIONED SO I THINK WE'RE NOT -- THERE'S OTHER CONTROVERSY ABOUT WHETHER WE WANT TO HAVE FOOD SAMPLER AND SNACK BENEFITS OTHER CONTROVERSY ABOUT ALL THESE SOCIAL NET PROGRAMS BUT THEN WE DON'T WANT TO PAY PEOPLE A LIVING WAGE. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN POVERTY HOW DO YOU EXPECT THEM TO MAKE WHEN IT THEY'RE NOT MAKING A LIVING WAGE YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE -- THE PROBLEM IS WHEN THEY GO TO COMPETE AGAINST SOMEONE WHO HAS MORE EXPERIENCE THAT PERSON IS ALWAYS GOING TO WIN OUT. SO THE PERSON THAT IS NOT EXPERIENCED IS NOT GOING TO HAVE A JOB. WHICH IS A TEEN, WHICH IS USUALLY A MINORITY. AS MY GRANDDAUGHTER USED TO SAY ANN BEATS NAN ANY DAY. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO AMP UP OUR TRAINING PROGRAMS AND EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM SO WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO COMPETE FOR THE HIGHER WAGE JOBS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME -- ONE ONLY HAS THREE EMPLOYEES. WELL, THERE HAS TO BE SOME BALANCE, TOO. YOU CANNOT FORGET THESE INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR CHILDREN. GOVERNOR SNYDER TALKED ABOUT THIS IN THE ARTICLE ON CLICKONDETROIT.COM. HE SAID I WOULD CAR -- YOU WHY KEEP MENTIONING -- THIS GUY WE PAYING HIM FOR A COMMERCIAL. OKAY. I LOVE WDIV. OR CLICKONDETROIT.COM. IF WE SPENT MORE ON ATTRACTING LET'S ATTRACT HIGHER PAYING JOBS TO THE STATE OF MICHIGAN. WHAT WE HAVE A GOVERNOR WHO DIDN'T EVEN MENTION HIGHER EDUCATION IN HIS STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS. HOW WILL YOU ATTRACT NEW JOBS. HE WAS GOING TO GET TO IT KIM GIVE HIM SOME TIME. HOW MUCH TIME ARE WE TALKING ABOUT UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MINIMUM WAGE. HOW DIFFICULT TO OPERATE THAT. BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE BOTH. RIGHT NOW THE JOBS THAT EXIST HAVE TO PAY A LIVING WAGE. WE ALSO HAVE TO HAVE THINGS IN THE FUTURE SO PEOPLE CAN HAVE HIGH WAGE JOBS. BELIEVE IT OR NOT WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. DOES ANYBODY GET A LUNCH HOUR ANY MORE? NO. A NEW SURVEY FINDS AMERICANS ONLY TAKE HALF HOUR FOR LUNCH MANY OF THOSE EAT AT THEIR DESK. THAT IS AN ENSURE LUNCH. DO YOU GET A LUNCH HOUR? ARE YOU SERIOUS? I'M JUST ASKING. ALL THESE SHOW THAT Y'ALL DO ON JUDGES? IT TAKES ME 15 MINUTES TO GET IN MY CAR AND ORDER GUESS WHAT I NEVER WOULD EAT. THAT'S WHAT CLERKS ARE FOR. I DO MORNING RADIO. MY WHOLE LIFE IS A LUNCH HOUR. WHEN I WORK I ALMOST NEVER TOOK A LUNCH. ARE YOU SERIOUS? I ATE AT MY DESK EVERY DAY. PEOPLE REALLY PLAN IN ADVANCE TO GET AWAY FROM MY OFFICE FOR LUNCH. THAT'S WHY SHE'S SO DEDICATED. NEXT TIME YOU VISIT WE'LL HAVE IT CATERED. ONLY WHEN WE HAVE 15 MINUTES. WE ONLY DO THE SHOW IN FIVE.

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